Out on parole, Ajay Chautala says INLD not anybody’s inheritance
Striking a defiant note, Ajay Chautala, the elder son of former Haryana chief minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, on Monday said the party was not anybody’s inheritance.
Ajay’s sons, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala, were expelled from the primary membership of the INLD on November 2 by their grandfather.
They were accused of indiscipline, hooliganism and spreading disaffection within the party during the birthday celebrations of former deputy prime minister and their great-grandfather Devi Lal on October 7.
Dushyant was also removed from the post of leader of the INLD parliamentary board.
“This party is no one’s patrimony. Inelo ( INLD in Hindi) is of the people and they have given their sweat and blood to it. Na mere baap ki bapoti hai na kis aur ke baap ki. Aur na kisi ki bapoti banane denge (It’s no one’s inheritance. Neither my father’s nor anyone else. And we will not let it become anyone’s patrimony,’’ Ajay Singh said, moments after coming out of Tihar Jail on a two-week parole.
OP Chautala and Ajay were convicted in the JBT (junior basic teacher) recruitment scam in January 2013. Both were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by a CBI court in Delhi. Both cannot contest elections due to the conviction. The INLD is being managed by Chautala’s younger son Abhay since then.
Addressing his supporters at Dushyant’s Delhi residence, Ajay said: “I am quite surprised to see the affairs of the party. We will fight this situation”. He said the next course of action would be decided on November 17 at Jind after he completes a tour of Haryana.
Ajay, who is the secretary general of INLD’s Haryana unit, however, did not give any indication of parting ways with the party.
He also tried to keep a window open for the re-entry of his sons in the INLD saying that they will create a situation where party supremo will be forced to recall Dushyant. “Do you remember that Chaudhary Devi Lal had snapped all ties with my father Om Prakash Chautala. But later appointed him as his heir,’’ he said. The former MP said his father has only taught that “adhikar mangne se nahi milta”
Taking a dig at his younger brother, Abhay Chautala (without naming him), Ajay said there were those who described dedicated INLD workers as paid Congressmen.
Making his intentions clear to lead a fight back, Ajay said that his grandfather Chaudhary Devi Lal never tolerated injustice. “And this is in our blood. We will never allow any wrong,’’ he said.
Among those present during his address were INLD MLAs, Anoop Dhanak (Uklana), Rajdeep Phogat (Dadri), former Haryana Public Service Commission chairman Dr KC Bangar, former MLAs Ramesh Khatak, Padam Dahiya, Nishan Singh and Jagdish Nayyar.